Past Research
My Improvement Plan
Developed with colleagues from the University of Texas and the University of South Carolina, My Improvement Plan is a valid, reliable, efficient assessment instrument for measuring programs that engage volunteers and national service participants. The tool was created for the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Volunteerism and Youth: Survey of Student Volunteerism at The University of Texas
About 27,000 University of Texas at Austin undergraduate students performed volunteer service between August 2001 and May 2002 according to a study conducted by the University's Office of Survey Research for the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service. The survey was designed through a collaborative effort of researchers and staff from the RGK Center, Office of Survey Research, Department of Sociology, and University Volunteer Center. The 1,514 respondents were chosen through a random selection of all UT undergraduates enrolled in the spring of 2002. Surveying was done via 20-minute telephone interviews administered by the Office of Survey Research.
Investing in Volunteerism
Over the Spring and Summer of 2002, the RGK Center developed, distributed, and compiled surveys from Texas state agencies about their community engagement and volunteer initiatives. Investing in Volunteerism describes 33 programs at 18 state agencies across all sectors of state government. The survey results, combined with extensive research on volunteerism, demonstrate the profound effect that volunteers are having on the State of Texas' public sector. The survey counted more than 218,000 Texans volunteered more than 2.7 million hours for state government and raised or donated more than $7 million.
Environmental Scan of Volunteerism
The RGK Center in collaboration with the Texas Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service is conducting a study of the level and extent of volunteerism in the state to determine ways in which the Commission could better support volunteerism. In the initial phase of the project, the RGK Center conducted an environmental scan of 49 different groups to discern the type of data currently collected about volunteerism, who collects this data, and the type of data or information that the field perceives that it needs to effectively engage volunteers in service endeavors. In addition, the RGK Center also solicited feedback on the work of the Commission. The next phase will be determined based in part on the scan's findings.
